Silence Over Noise

Good morning family. Happy to see "hump day"....One day closer to the weekend. The week has been good and productive so far.The words we say have a long-lasting effect on us. What we put into the atmosphere says a lot about our character. I understand that sometimes that the negative/defensive words we say are a result of our past rejections/hurt. We feel it necessary to let everyone know that we're strong and won't be bullied, pushed around or taken for granted. What we miss is that we are strongest when we're silent or when we respond in kindness. Negative words represent defeat and nothing more. I remind you this morning as I remind myself, we don't have to roar like lions to get attention, we need only stand in faith, walk "through" and conquer whatever/whoever is pushing our buttons, focus inward. We should own who we are based on who God says we are. If someone is trying to destroy your self esteem or put you on blast because you're not doing what they think you should be doing, shut them down by loving them anyway. Make sure they understand that your trust in God is greater than anything they can say or do to you. He is "All" and that is all. TeamSilenceOverNoise. Bblessedloveyou

Building Faith

Good morning family. Hope everyone's Tuesday started well and ends well. Excited about the day, nothing special going on, just excited to see a new day. Feeling blessed and ready for whatever comes. Heartfelt condolences going out to the Daniels family and continued prayers. Also thanking our Father in Heaven for touching Dossie as she continues healing. Something I've really been focused on lately is building faith by strengthening my relationship with God. I don't know about you but I need a constant reminder of what my role is in this relationship. I am required to read and research His word and apply His teachings based on His will. So many times we read partial passages instead of the full scripture because we only want validation for what makes us feel right/good. But just like building a house from the ground up, we can't take short cuts, we need all the materials and the best quality. We are all subject to mistakes but when we understand His word, we apply it and move on to the next. I pray for you as I pray myself, asking God to forgive me/us for taking short cuts and for not taking complete ownership of the responsibility to live as He's instructed. Asking Him to be with us in our decision making and to give us the courage to seek guidance through His word. Thanking Him for everything and wanting for nothing. AMEN...

Our Love

Good morning family. Happy hump-day. It's been nice not having to rush to work this week. Sort-a miss the 1145 shift but not enough to go back. Thanking God for peace and quiet this morning. It's good to just turn off the TV, sit in silence and give Him all the praise. We have to escape from the busyness of our days allow ourselves to think or just sit and not think at all. This morning my thoughts took me to one of my favorite songs, "Our Love" by Natalie Cole. I thought about the words of the song and how they applied to my marriage and to my relationship with God. While this is a secular song, it holds some spiritual content. It speaks about how strong love is and that's what God's word offers, a strong/mighty love. It's also what my husband has always offered me even when I didn't deserve it. As women we try to be so strong and independent that we miss the love that's right in front of us. What I know for certain is that being strong can weaken us and being solely independent on our abilities will cause us to crash and burn. This morning I'm thankful that our God forgives us when we don't give our burdens/problems over to Him and I'm glad that men like my husband find it in their hearts to let love lead them and not their pride. I say this morning, thank You to God our Father and to our husbands/boyfriends for putting up with us when we feel we don't need anyone. I pray this morning that God's will be our complete focus, man and woman. Don't allow the world to dictate how we should live, allow the word of God to show us how it's done. The bible hasn't changed but the world is forever changing. AMEN. TeamOurLove. Bblessedloveyou.

All Eyes On Him

Good morning family. What a full day we had yesterday. Thankful that God allowed us to do just about everything we'd planned. YAH for us, we finally found a piano on "craig'slist" for the low-low. I don't know if my grands will appreciate us for it or not, but I'm thankful. When we wait and don't rush into purchases, we get what we need at a budget price, the right price. in our price range. The icing on the cake is, the person selling it is a pastor who bought a new one and doesn't need two. God is good. So Dee and I are sitting watching Lil' Cory play ball. He didn't have a good game and became very frustrated with himself. I think he was more concerned with the lecture he knew he would get from his dad after the game. Oh yea, it was coming because his dad was yelling from the bleachers as dads do. What I saw in front of the dug-out was the coach talking to Cory at the same time saying "Cory, just watch me". It reminded me of how God tries so hard to get our attention when we're distracted by life. The life that's trying to tell us we can't make it or reminding us that we've made another mistake. God is saying to us, just keep your eyes on Me and everything will be fine. Then there's life again saying you're failing, no one loves you, your family doesn't care about you, you have no friends. But then there's God saying I love you, I've always loved you. Reminding us that we always have a place with Him, He will always care for us and He forgives us. If we just tell "life" to shut up sometimes, we'd feel a whole lot better. What I know for certain is that God is already where He wants me/you to go/be, I/we just have to listen and keep my/our eyes on Him. AMEN and AMEN. TeamAllEyesOnHim. Bblessedloveyou. My son, Cedric would be 34 years old today. God rest his soul. I love and miss him so much but I know he's resting peacefully. Happy Birthday to my first child. Tears, but tears of joy for healing, peacefulness and acceptance.

Family

Good morning family. Get up and enjoy this beautiful Saturday. We have a busy day for which I am thankful. Praying God allows us to get all our chores done, piano lessons completed, games played and parties attended. Happy Birthday to my family members, Daryl Richardson and Cranesha Murray. So very thankful that my/our friend Dossie is doing better, asking God to continue watching over and healing her so that she can leave the hospital. Won't He do it? AMEN. I'm reminded every day of just how powerful His word is. He allows us to heal and move on. He brings us through things we thought would forever scar and hold us down. Through tragedy and loss we're still here, not always making the right choices, non the less, still here. I don't know about you but all the strength I have comes from the Lord. His word is so awesome and true. I challenge myself every day to be better based on what His word says about me and how it guides me. I pray each of you do the same. I also pray that we not take our family relationships for granted. The devil is banking us being divided, he's banking on us de-friending each other. Each time we lash out, he's putting a notch in his belt. That's his time to step in and fill our heads and hearts with negative thoughts, leaving our feelings hard as rocks. To my family and friends, there is nothing you can do that will ever stop me from loving you. Thank you to my sister Meshun for organizing our bowling night last night. It was so beautiful to see all of us together as we should be. Adults, we have the responsibility of setting examples for our children. Keep it going. TeamFamily. Bblessedloveyou. Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Psalm 78:1-8

Girl Power

Good afternoon family. Shout out to my niece, Ava Simone. She's four years old today. My, my, my how time flies. Love her to pieces. She's Charm's best friend. They've surely been a blessing to us. God is amazing in His planning for our lives. Who knew that these two little girls would come along in the same year and have such a profound effect on the lives of their mothers and each other. True girl power. Ladies, as we mature I think we forget how magical our friendships can be. We get so caught up in the "he said/she said" hoopla that we loose sight of just how powerful our relationships can be if we simple focus on the positive and leave the foolishness behind. I personally am learning that if I stay out of the drama, I feel much better especially if it's not my drama. At some point in life we have to accept that everyone is entitled to their opinion and we can't get mad if their opinion/views don't match ours. Along the same thought process, we can't get hung up on hurt feelings. There is not one relationship that doesn't get tried at some point. Our challenge is to love one another despite what we see and hear. It's not easy when our feelings are hurt but when we see past the hurt, we become stronger and love harder. So to all the little girls who out there, young and old, cherish your friendships understanding that there will be challenges but love overcomes all. TeamGirlPower. Bblessedloveyou.

Feeling Thankful

Good morning family. Blessed to see another Sunday. Thanking God for watching over me and mine. Also giving Him praise for the family and friends that grace my life. Reminding everyone that embracing what you have is important but change is a must. This morning around 2 am  our house phone rang. Anyone with children understands when I say that a feeling of panic goes all over you when that happens. It was one of my sons asking me to come to him because he'd been in an accident. Now I'm not one of those people who freak out and get nervous but I am a worrier. I wondered if he was hurt or if he was at fault. Once I got to the accident site, I found that he and my nephew were both fine, a little shaken up, sober with a few scratches. Relief and thankfulness. The driver of the car that hit them was not sober. A young woman who'd enjoyed her night a little to much. Needless to say, she failed the sobriety test and is waking up in jail. There's always something that we can learn from accidents, there are always reminders. I thought back on my "hard" days of partying and had to say "Thank You" because the good Lord knows I could have gone to jail many times for driving under the influence. I could have injured someone or taken a life. My God is good and showed favor to a "fool", me. This morning I apologize to my family for those immature days and I thank God for life. Thanking Him also for allowing my son/nephew to walk away from that accident. Also praising Him for sparing the lives of all involved. TeamFeelingThankful. Bblessedloveyou.

God Is My Source

Good morning family. Happy Birthday to my friend Dossie. We tease her because she's the oldest in our group. With age comes wisdom. I love it and I love her. Praying everyone is getting ready to "put it in" today. Every day should be a new challenge, something to conquer, an opportunity to be better. I use the phrase "consider the source" a lot. It's appropriate because we live/work in a world full of "diverse sources". Personalities clash, friendships fail, family/work relationships suffer and feelings are hurt because we miss the opportunity to apply/use "consider the source". When we take into consideration who/what frustrates or makes us mad, we really need to look at ourselves. Why are we responding to someone else's foolishness/immaturity/lack of compassion? We become so much stronger and better when we let go, pray and thank God for allowing us the experience. What I know for certain is that as long as we're breathing, there will always be someone/something who/that will aggravate/upset us. What I understand is that I don't have to respond/react. Keep it moving/stay prayed up because God is the source of all. If He's the head of your life, those other sources don't even matter. TeamGodIsMySource. Bblessedloveyou. Proverbs 12:5-7