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