A New Attitutde!

Hello guys and gals!
It has been while since I signed on.  The start of school came with a flurry of activities.  I am taking today to catch my breath.  No appointments, no meetings, no activities.  A total pajama day. Yeah me!

There are so many things to catch up on.  My eldest daughter turned the ripe old age of 23 on September 4th.  Wow, to be young again!  Well I am young at heart.  Started out my students with team-building, games and of course dance!  One of my students commented that it's just something not right about a teacher dancing.  My response, you better dance while you can!!  We had a blast.  Then it was down to work. I am so excited about my culinary classes, preparing them for the ProStart Competition this year.  I have great group of students this year.

Celebrated a lot of birthdays in August in September.  Had a super time with my adopted New Orleans family the Baylis-St. Julian clan, toasting Lyndia's 6-0 at Painting with a Twist.  You know we painted the none other than the Fleur de Lis,  mais qui!

In September I also saw The Help, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were superb, not to mention a great cameo by the lady herself, Ms. Cicely Tyson!  I love the book even more, but they did the movie justice.
Spent time with some good friends this month and shared some great moments in new places.  We visited Max's Wine Dive on Washington.  Great atmosphere, excellent food, fantastic night.  Finally went to Jax's on Shepherd.  Listened to some great Zydeco Music and shared laughs with my sister Josephine and friend Pauline and made some new friends. Loved it! Could not believe the older guys still dancing and half-way trying to mack!  Oh boy... Can't wait to have another Louisiana/Port Arthur Ladies night out.

I am striving to move on with the next phase of life. There are  great opportunities right in front of our eyes, sometimes we become so jaded from past experiences, we don't see the good that is right in our face. God is bringing me new acquaintances, and re-connecting me with some old ones.

I told a friend recently, that if we chose not to reclaim those things in our lives we feel we are missing, then we are really not experience life to the fullest. We are simply just existing. With so many catastrophes swirling all around us daily, it is important to hold fast to those things of the heart that matter to us the most. And to realize that some things in life just are worth fighting for. However, chose your battles carefully.

Relationships are tough, but we make choices each and every day. Some good, some not so good.  Some that take our lives in a new direction and some that push us into paths of destruction.  One constant is and should be, our faith.  God is faithful.  He will never leave us or forsake us, we are the ones who turn away from him.  Recently in our women's study we are exploring the lives of women touched by Jesus.  One thing I have come to learn is that we all need Jesus, in whatever phase of life we are in.  The women in Dorothy Valcarcel's book When a Woman Meets Jesus, all face tragedies and triumphs, struggles and strengths...it is a day-to-day walk that moves us along this journey.

For some of us it is time for restoration and renewal others are in a good place and ready to share our experiences with those who need help.  One of our group members made a great observation, while we should not focus on being perfect, we are all God's perfect women. At the appointed time, he directs our lives, and we are the perfect woman for what He calls us to do.Whatever is His vision for us He gives provision to accomplish.

My hope and prayer is to be ready and  able to answer the call when it comes.

¹⁹ And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰ Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Philippians 4:19 (NASB)

There comes a time when we all have to learn how to move forward...and realize that some people in our lives are stuck-like-chuck in the past for whatever reason. So much so that a gallon of Crisco won't get them out!  We must learn to be patiently prayerful that our Father knows what is best for us. 
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:8-10

More of Everything!

Greetings Fellow Bloggers!

It has been a few weeks since I posted.  I have been writing curriculum for the past two weeks. So, this is my first breather to get back on the boards.  I am excited to be back!

Well,  it is hard to believe that  this is the last day of July 2011.  Half of the year has past and we are on our way to 2012.  There are so many new opportunities on the horizon. Election year (Goooo Barak!), Summer Olympics in London, lots of Food and Wine Festivals (NOLA, Las Vegas, New York, Santa Barbara, Barbados, Paris and Italy.)  I am claiming 2012 as my year of discovery and exploration!

This summer has provided me with plethora odysseys. I have been so very blessed with many new opportunities to teach. Cast Iron Skillet is on the move with two upcoming events!  God is good all the time, and all the time, God is Good my friends!

When we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, He will truly grant us the desires of  our hearts.  And in doing so, He give us, more than enough.  MORE OF EVERYTHING! More time, more resources, more patience, more love.

 Just when you think about throwing in the towel, God is right there to hand you another one!  I love that about our Lord, He is so patient and kind, simply waiting for us to acknowledge His presence in our lives.  When we do He is more than able to meet each and every one of our needs.

I started this blog as a "relief from grief" and ins so doing it has led me on a mission of self-discovery.  That's just like Jehovah Rapha ~ The Lord who heals.  When we are in the midst of licking our wounds, he shows us a more excellent way.  Friends He merely wants us to come to HIM in the first place! 

As the song says...

I love the the Lord, he heard my cry
And pitied every groan, long as I, I live
And troubles rise, I hasten to his throne.

 

I want to truly encourage you all to hold fast to your faith, put God first in all you say and do and trust the Lord with all of your heart.  Whatever you are experiencing in your lives, God will bring it to pass.  I realize that when you are going through it is sometimes a very daunting task just to put one foot in front of the other a keep moving forward.  But (since), God is our Father and He is faithful, we mus move forward.

The apostle Paul puts it this way...

Philippians 3:13-14

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹³Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
 ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

 Brothers and Sisters, we must press!  We have all things unto life and Godliness, it is up to us to live as though we do. There are times in our lives, especially when we are hurting, that we would rather cling to that which is familiar rather than move boldly into our destiny.  Unfortunately many of us never move forward into God's plan for us; in order to fulfill His purpose in our lives. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29-30...

²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. ³⁰ For My yoke is ^[a]easy and My burden is light.”

Be encouraged today that no matter what you are going through, God does indeed have a PLAN and a PURPOSE for YOU!  You are HIS craftsmanship, created in HIS image to do the "good works" He created you to do.  Do not despair or become discouraged., our GOD is able!

Take a list to the classic "I'd Rather Have Jesus" from the DFW Mass Choir!  Be Encouraged!  Until next time...Peace and Blessings.

Ephesians 3:20-21

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

 ²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, ²¹ to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations ^[a]forever and ever. Amen.

For The True Man of God

"I will wait for you" by Official P4CM Poet JANETTE...IKZ

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall!

Well, it has been a moment since I have had time to write.  As Tyler Perry said, writing is cathartic! (Taken from is mentor Ms. O!)  I too agree, writing down your thoughts keeps you from saying some foolish things.

Last week was the anniversary of the death of our King of Pop, MJ himself.  While watching all of the tributes (can't help myself, I am a huge MJ and J5 fan!); I reflected most on the song, Man in the Mirror.  God spoke to my heart through this song and it compelled me to look in the mirror of my life.  That made me think about one my favorite Grimm fairy tales, Snow White.  The evil queen has this mirror she looks into asks the proverbial question, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

Isn't that how we feel sometimes in our lives?  Like we are the fairest of them ALL?  Only to look at the woman (or man) in the mirror an discover we have FLAWS!  None of  us can claim perfection, especially when measure ourselves against the image of Christ. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known."

You see most of us have impaired vision when it comes to our own goodness.  Sometimes we are near sighted and can only see those things which are close to us.  The things we cherish such as a hobby, friends or family.  Not expanding our vision outside of that keeps us from seeing that there is so much more in life to be valued.  Often when life provides us an opportunity to break free we are not able to let go of old and wrong ideas, habits,  patterns of thinking and behaviors.

Then there are those of us who are far sighted; we project waaayyyy into the future for no apparent reason at ALL!  We play a super-sized game of "What if?" with our lives and those around us. This can be very detrimental in relationships. Instead of enjoying the present, we worry about what will or will not happen.  Therefore, we inhibit ourselves from recognizing when God is sending us a special gift, that is why it is called "THE PRESENT"!

There are host of vision related maladies that keep us from moving into our God-ordained destines.  Such as short-sightedness-the glass half empty crew lacking foresight.  These individuals tend to rush through life from one event to the next. Unfortunately they rarely time to live IN the moment.

Then there is tunnel vision-my way or hit the highway folks, they have blinders on and can not see to left or the right. They become casualties of their own captivity.  Next are those who suffer from  night blindness which Webster defines it as the reduced visual capacity in faint light. Proverbs 29:18a states,

"where there is no vision, the people perish:" Then you have those who suffer from cataracts and can not bring anything into focus to save their own lives!  They are wishy-washy, can not make sound decisions because they just cant SEE IT.

 The worst case is glaucoma-a gradual loss of vision due to pressure in the eye.  This gives me the most concern because a persons can be under so much pressure in life (whether real or self imposed) that they gradually begin to lose sight of who they are in Christ and who he has called them to being.

What God wants from us is to trust HIS vision for our lives.  Trust that the good work he began in us, He will bring it into maturity.  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

So the next time you take a look at the man in the mirror, think not about what you see visibly, but what your inner man sees;  "for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b  Ask yourself, is it time to make a change?  Is it time to examine yourself and make some hard choices? 

Remember, I have said it before "FEAR is just FALSE EVIDENCE THAT APPEARS REAL" Hill Harper

Take a look at the Man in the Mirror...Mirror, Mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?  His name is JESUS. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15

Make a Change!

http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/man-mirror-video

Rainfall

Everyone knows hot hot it is in Houston. Blazing Hot! Everyone knows we are going through a drought. There are flash fires, crop damage and water restrictions.  But on Wednesday we received a heavy rainfall.  Growing up in Louisiana I loved to sit on the screened in porch and watch the rain come down as I ate my Popsicle.  There was a feeling of comfort as the soft cool spray of the rain kissed my face as I rocked back and forth on the swing.

As I stood out on the balcony of my apartment, watching the rain fall as I had done so many times before, I realized that God knew we needed rain too.  And most importantly, he knew just when to send it!.

Most of you that are really close to me know that I have been going through some struggles of late. I suppose it has been my season of drought.  It just seems like 10 years ought to be enough time! :) lol I am searching for the rainfall in my life.  I am surveying my life and may be being a bit more reflective than I should. Recently I read in chapter 7 of Feeding Your Soul by Jean Flemming, that when we are going through a season of "Dryness", it's o.k. to be reflective, we simply need to reflect on the right things.

Two things stood out to me in that chapter.  One was we need to visit the alters where God has given us victory in our lives and secondly we should demonstrate our gratitude for Gods amazing grace.  I realize that all of this is absolutely true.  However my sisters and brothers, we are human!  And our Lord knows that all to well because he too experienced dry seasons during his three year ministry.  He was rejected, despised, betrayed, slandered, disrespected and abandoned.  And HE WAS LORD!


But he also knew that we would continue to experience these things in spite of his sacrifice for our redemption. For example, when he told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat. 

Luke 22:31

The Message (MSG)

 ^31-32"Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I've prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start."

Sometimes our trials are meant for just that, to give someone else a fresh start. To demonstrate God's love for us as he brings us through our seasons of dryness.  Although by my own admission, I do not always feel that way!  In fact when I was looking at the rain on Wednesday, I had a huge "Why" moment.  Why me, Why not, Why so long?

I am sure Peter wondered those same things.  Especially after his big denial scene in Luke 22:54-60,  Talk about drama!  So I suppose we are no different. Same ole same ole as they say.  One thing I want you to remember and that is Jesus told Peter he was praying for him.  Jesus praying for us?  Yes he is our advocate before the Father.  He wants us to cast all of our care upon him because he cares for us.  Even when we (I) don't feel he does.  He sends the rainfall.

How? Through a shower of well wishes from friends. Through a sprinkle of love throughout the day by strangers we may never know.  Through downpours of love from persons we did not realize were concerned for our well being.

We must learn to appreciate the rainfall in the midst of the drought. Last night as I was watching the new adventure show, Expedition Impossible on ABC, one of the challenges for the teams was to find water the traditional Berber way. They were in the Sahara desert!  Sand for miles!  But one member of one team said lets dig.  Everyone including his team members thought perhaps the heat had gotten to him!  But reluctanly they agreed to the request.  They were at the end of the road with no where to go, so they dug.  They had to did deep and then a wonderful thing happened, they hit water!  Water in the midst of the great Sahara!  The teams were awe struck and could not believe it.

I saw something else, I saw God's sovereignty over nature.  He created the dessert and allowed life to flourish there; and in doing so he made provisions for survival even in harsh conditions!  The great news is he will do the same for us.  El Shaddai-The god who is sufficient for the needs of his people!

Even though we feel like we are in the Sahara, there is an Oasis there.

 P. S. My tribute to the great Gene Kelly!  Sometimes we have to sing in the rain!

Be Blessed.  TGIF!


“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV

Personal Chef Services

New Day Dawning

Hello world!  I awake this morning feeling refreshed and renewed.  It is not that my circumstances have changed, but I have changed my mindset about my circumstances.  Attitude can be everything you know.  Don't believe it?  Well how about two women who enter the hospital for the same type of treatment.  One embraces the treatment aggressively, remains optimistic and shares her experiences with others.  The other resists the treatment, is negative and isolates herself.  The first extends her life and lives to fight another day. The second experiences a slow and painful death.

Sometimes family and friends WE can be our own worst enemies!

I believe that it is time for us to embrace ALL that LIFE has to offer, good and bad.  Those experiences make us who we are.  So what if someone rejects us, is rude to us, forsakes us.  It does not define who we are, it simply reveals to us who they truly are.  STOP...think about it! LOL

Last night I made burgers and fries. I know, you say, "What is so special about that!"   Well most of you know I am a self proclaimed culinary wizard!  So I decided to spice things up with the following recipe:


Southwest Burgers

Ingredients:
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced (De-seeded or not if you like it hot)
1 green onion small diced
1/4 cup small diced tomato, De-seeded
Cilantro (minced if you like it)  I didn't have any but the recipe I created in my mind wished I did!
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. Soy Sauce
1 T. Catchup
Season with you fave (I used Tony Chachere's and Slap Your Mama)

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Form medium to large size patties (depending on your the size of buns)
Coat skillet with a small amount of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Cook on both sides for 3 minutes on medium to high heat (these would be super on the grill, Grill Masters!)

FLAVORLICIUOS!

Burgers were dressed with grilled onions, spinach leaves, Swiss cheese (would have added sauteed mushrooms if I had them!)

I served with oven fries seasoned with Italian Seasoning and drizzled with EVOO


Bon Appetit!



The point is, you can always take something old and UPGRADE it!



"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."
— Amy Carmichael

Matters of the Heart

Well my Mama told me there would be days like this.  An this is one of those days!  I know that God intends for me to grow from this experience. To trust him more.  To allow him to prune things from my life that are stifling spiritual growth.  But the pruning is painful.

Psalm 102:4
My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.

Relationships are very hard work and sometimes in the garden of life, it is very hard to control the weeds!
We often think the neighbors garden looks so much better, their grass is so much greener only to find that they have just as many weeds as we do!  Then why does their garden grow?  They know how and when to prune!  We must learn from the Master Gardener, when to replant and and when to sow.  Some times we sow the wrong seed sisters!

One of my favorite passages comes from Mark chapter 4, the Parable of the Sower and the Soils.

 In parable Jesus begins the story this way...

Mark 4:3-8 MSG
 ^3-8"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

Then just as we so often do, the twelve disciples retreated and began to discuss what the parable meant. They had the King of Glory right there with them yet they could not understand .  Jesus begins to explain.

^{Mark 4: 13-20 MSG  13}He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way. 
^14-15"The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

 ^16-17"And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

 ^18-19"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

 ²⁰"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

 WOW...is that not like our lives?  God gives us opportunities and it is up to us to act on those opportunities. The one thing we must remember is the opportunities are not for us to prosper, they are to bring God glory and honor.  And thereby we prosper all the more.  The sad thing is many of us recognize this too late.  We believe our live are our own, we shape our destiny by hard work.  We get content with the trappings of this world and what it has to offer.

Even when we know that we know that we know...he is leading us, pulling us towards a higher calling.  We wrestle with the twin sisters Doubt and Fear.  We allow others expectations (or lack) of us to shape our opinions.  Those opinions give birth to beliefs.  Those beliefs develop into actions.  And those actions detour us from our destiny.

Ecclesiastes 10:2
A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left

Today I truly did not want to hear this!  I wanted things to go my way. The way I believed God would have them to go for me.  Well thanks be to God his ways are so much higher than my ways and his thoughts are so much higher than my thoughts. Praise the Lord that he can do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that I can ever ask, think or imagine!

God is so awesome that even with this intense pain in my heart, He guides me, He comforts me and He consoles me.  At His mercy seat His love surrounds me.He let's me know that I am not alone and that He will never leave or forsake me.  What a mighty God we serve!

We all want to experience pure love, true love; something that is real you know?  But one thing we must remember is that man is not capable of giving us that type of love.  That type of love was given to us on Calvary. God even sends people into our lives to love who don't love us!  And that is the hard part; Accepting the rejection in  the name of Love that our light may shine and our savior will be glorified.

It's a tough assignment ya'll and I am not sure that I am up to the task.  My heart is very heavy this evening, my mind is racing with all of the ways I could have handled this season of life in a more excellent way.  But then I remember that the real mission is to live out THE GREAT commission.  To let our life speak louder than our words so that others will know who we truly serve.

Jeremiah 17:9

The Message (MSG)

 ^9-10"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
   a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
   and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
   I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
   not as they pretend to be."

So the garden of my heart is a wreck right now, but the reality is I live to fight another day.  Tomorrow the pruning will begin to heal as the Savior cultivates the garden of my heart once more. The MASTER GARDNER!

Take courage my sisters, HE has OVERCOME the WORLD!

John 16:33

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

³³ These things I have spoken to you, so that ^(A)in Me you may have peace. ^(B)In the world you have tribulation, but ^(C)take courage; ^(D)I have overcome the world.”

Life's Little Surpises

Life sometimes has a way of surprising you.  Today I had a great surprise.  Two of my friends took me out for an after birthday celebration!  It was the best surprise ever!  We attended an awesome play at the Ensemble Theater in Houston, Faces in the Mirror by Barbara Hudson.  Then we jaunted over to Houston's for a fantastic dinner.

Today was living definition of what "friendship" should look like.  People caring for each other when it is not expected.  All to often most of our friendships are superficial or conditional.  We share expressions, exchange pleasantries and a few memorable moments.

Proverbs 17:17a says, "A friend loves at all times". Even when it hurts, even when you have been wronged and even when you have been rejected.

Let's face it, relationships are tough.  It takes a lot of hard work and diligence to cultivate a truly meaningful relationship.  In other words, you have got to put your heart and soul into it.  You have to put in the time it takes to get to know a person beyond hello and goodbye.

Seasons of life bring about different types of relationships.  In our youth, we have our buddies, our pals, our "friends".   After high school graduation we soon realize many of those friendships will dissipate with time.  Some of those " friends" will be out of touch within a few months and few months into college, they will become a distant memory.

During our journey into adulthood the relationships we forged in college and in what I like to call the "formative years" of adulthood, we become lasting ones.  Most of us remain in touch with our college roommate. (if we had a good one!lol)   We stay in touch with neighbors from our first home. We interact with some colleagues from our jobs.

These bonds we share are from our like experiences.  We have "grown-up" together so to speak.  We've witnessed marriages, births, divorces and  deaths. These experiences have intertwined our lives together.

I am so grateful for reliable friends, but I am most grateful for friends (like the ones today) who love me!  In this age of instant everything and faster than the speed of light communication, it is heartwarming to know that two people in my life will set aside a day of food, fellowship just for me!

Thank you sooo much Reena and Tangye! I am eternally grateful for our friendship. I encourage you to  take the time to love your friends!

Peace,

Sheri

Sunny Sunday!

Hello everyone!  It is a three-digit degree Sunday here in Houston.  We have 100 degree sunny Sunday skies today.  I am not really feeling the sunshine inside though, a little too much to take in I guess.  I was just previewing my girl Jill Scott's new album  "The Light of the Sun" due out June 21st and I must agree that the title fits right in with the weather and my mood.

The word of the day is: Challenges. We all have them I suppose; some more than others.  The message at church today encouraged and challenged me at the same time.  The new series is "Sold Out"  and since I am child out the seventies, I thought about the flip side of that phrase.  You know like when you would go out and by that new 45 single only to find out the flip-side was better!

To be a sell out for Christ is the ultimate commitment. But all too often we sell out for everything else.  We sell out for our friends and frienemies alike. Trying to impress people we don't really like by spending money we don't really have on stuff we don't really need. We sell out on the job when we compromise our ethics.  We sell out in relationships by trying to change ourselves for others. We settle when we should not.

If you are a business person the phrase carries yet another connotation.  We you sell out of your goods or services it is a great thing.  Selling out equates that you have successfully marketed your wares and will reap a financial gain. For example, a realtor selling a home places  SOLD over the sign with joy.  The theater manager is elated to hear that the next three shows are sold out.  A newly marketed product is tracked by how many stores "sell out" of the product.

I reflected on this in the context of Mark 12:28-34 and Deut. 4:6.(OT Ref) and I concluded that if I focused more on who sold himself out for me I would be more inclined to maintain my focus of being sold out for him.

The P-31 woman is a classic model of a total sell out.  She was sold out for her Lord, her family, her customers  and her employees.  Proverbs 31 describes her as a noble wife whose worth was far above rubies. Webster defines noble as: possessing high or excellent qualities; superiority of mind, character, ideals or morals. The price per carat of rubies (unlike diamonds which depend on the four C's, cut, carat, clarity and color) depends heavily on the color. Hence the term Ruby-red.  The price can range from $400 to $10K. Historically it denoted passion and power.  Clearly Ms. P-31 had both!

Verse 11 states that her husband ( Mr. P-31) had total confidence in her and as a result lacked nothing. You go girl!  Ms. P-31 was a hard working resourceful business woman who demonstrated good stewardship. Her genuine care and concern for the well being of others began in her home and spread abroad.  Sounds like a Jesus-love kind of sell out to me!

The lesson for me is that amidst all of those accomplishments were great challenges.  However Ms. P-31 did one thing we often do not take the time to do in our busy and hectic lives.  That is gain perspective by surveying your circumstances and prioritize!  When you have the right perspective the view of the challenges come into the focus.  Look into your right side view mirror on the car, the message says, " Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear."!

Peace and blessings!

Sheri Linette

Hebrews 12:2

King James Version (KJV)

 ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Food for the Soul

Well sports fans we are in the middle of the NBA finals, the students have donned their caps and gowns and school is out for the summer!  We have so much to thank God for. Which by the way inspired me to begin this blog!  There have been a number of changes this year; and you know what? Change is good. My daughter likes to say, if nothing changes, nothing changes!

We must begin to look at our lives through the eyes of GRATITUDE!  Think about the last time you actually said the words to someone, I am grateful for...Well here goes. I am eternally grateful for my relationship with the Lord. I am grateful that my oldest daughter graduated this past May from the University of North Texas.  Yeah me! My other daughter completed her freshman year at the University of Houston.  I am also grateful for all of the new relationships I formed and the old relationships I have rekindled this year.  God is awesome!  What a mighty God we serve.

This morning I was reflecting on the amount of time we spend thinking about our problems.  How much more could we accomplish if we channeled all of that energy into moving forward?  Moving into our destiny. Hmm? Exactly what does that mean? Well if means different things for most of us, but it involves the same thing for all of us, trust and obedience.  Proverbs 3:5a states to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." And in 1 Samuel 15:22 we are reminded that to obey God is better than sacrifice.

The story of Deborah and Barak gives us a vivid example of how a simple act of disobedience can alter our destiny.  Be mindful I said alter not change.  Because the days God has ordained for us are according to His will.  However, we can bring about circumstances that distract us from or cause delays in our destiny.

The account of Barak's reliance on the leadership of Deborah demonstrates that there are times when God will only give us the victory if we trust in HIM not in man (or woman!). In order to give the the victory to Barak he had to go into the battle against Sisera without Deborah.  She even told him that the Lord had gone before him.  But he would not go on without her.  Therefore, the Lord gave the victory to Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite.

Isn't that just like us though?  We can clearly hear the still small voice of the God directing us through changes in our lives.  Telling us with clarity to leave that relationship, resign from that job, go back to school or study a specific biblical principal.  And what do we do?  Ask everyone else who can not really help us!  We spend  more time contemplating, consulting and procrastinating rather than acting on what God would have us to do.

It is no wonder so many of us feel "stuck like Chuck" when it comes to our marriages, relationships, careers and spiritual growth.  I want to encourage you this day to take the first painful step to stop stalling and start walking!  Walking towards your destiny. Walking into your future by living in the present and not in the past. Last week I realized I was doing just that!  I was talking the talk, but the walk?  A little on the crooked side. lol

Recently some good friends told me two things that resonated with me. One, everything looks better on the other side of the fence.  Secondly, we can all be the hero (or She-ro) of our own stories. When God should be the HERO.

Let's make a pact today demonstrate  a spirit of gratitude, to let go of past mistakes and trust God to bring us into our destiny!

Peace and blessings,

Sheri Linette

Take a listen to Spiritual by Donald Lawrence
 http://praisephilly.com/music/praiseonline/donald-lawrence-spiritual-new-music/

Spiritual by Donald LawrenceTak