Just My Imagination

Good morning family. Happy Sunday morning to you all. Blessed to be up and moving, no aches or pains, no regrets, no sorrows and looking forward to what the day will bring. Lifting my friend Dossie up in prayer. Praying that she'll be home from the hospital today. Also looking forward to celebrating her birthday this week. Asking God to give her the strength she needs to put with us. AMEN. I'm guilty of over-thinking things. Picking out the "what ifs" before I even consider doing something. Moaning and complaining before I even try something. What I realized through a conversation I had with a good friend this week is, I've stopped using my imagination. When I read God's word I'm frequently reminded to walk in faith, look for the good in everything, accept challenges and give Him all my worries. Honestly, the flesh takes over and I can't imagine things working out the way I want them to. This morning I pray for you as I pray for me, Lord please let us be open to fresh ideas, let our faith be so strong, so evident that others want to take this faith walk with us. Continue Father God to fill our hearts/minds with reminders of how awesome Your works have been/and are. That through You the battle is already won. Lord forgive us for our misuse of favor because we've certainly received our fair share. Father God forgive us for forgetting how awesome You are when we are feasting. Reminding us that we should worship and honor You during times of feast the same way we do during times of famine. Give me/us the courage to forgive those who have wronged us, let us open our mouths and say I love you as opposed to keeping them on the outside/at a distance. Lastly Lord God, thank You for always welcoming me/us back when I/we have fallen and not lived up to what You require of me/us. AMEN. TeamJustMyImagination. Deuteronomy 8:1-4, 8:11, 8:14, 8:18, Luke 7:9-10. Bblessedloveyou.

The Young and the Restless

Good morning family. I am enjoying this rainy Saturday morning. The rain gives me an excuse to stay in and relax. Not always a good thing but I need it today. Praying for my friend Q. Her mother passed away unexpectedly this week. The unexpected will have us believe we won't survive but it's in those times when we really get a good understanding of our truth strength and where it comes from, Our Father in Heaven. Over the past few weeks I've had this reoccurring thought, "The Young and the Restless". Sounds funny because it's the name of a soap opera but it's made me think about my children more and remember when I was "young and restless". Every idea or passion my children come up with reminds me of "me". As a young woman, I was restless, thinking I needed to be so much more, have so much more and please so many. What I didn't realize and what I wasn't taught is everything I hustled for as a young woman, wouldn't even matter by the time I reached the age I am now. I don't want to discourage my children but I do want to remind them and all our young people, that maturity is not measured by what you own or who you know. Matured is identified by the character you've built. Our choices, good or bad, contribute to our character. When I finally realized that I didn't need the current fad/trend, that I wasn't supposed to be-friend everyone, that people pleasing was overrated and that God was and had always been my true source, then I began to see things differently. This morning I pray that everyone seeking something more stay in prayer about what they want, be realistic and at the same time be willing to commit to the dreams they have. Understanding that the desires we have for our lives may not be where God wants to take us. A true willingness to fall in line with what He would have us do is key to our success and happiness. TeamYoung&Restless. Bblessedloveyou.

Just Thinking

Labor pains during birth were nothing compared to the pain staking labor of planning my son's funeral and watching my family mourn his death. So when I look past ignorance please don't think I'm ignoring it but understand I've felt the worse pain ever and there's nothing anyone else can do that could hurt me more. I've overcome. Sometimes it's hard to breathe when I imagine what it must have been like when my dad and my son were taking their last breath, I wonder what they were thinking. I wonder if they knew how much they were loved and would be missed. Surprisingly, I don't get the same feeling about my mom because God blessed me and allowed  me to be by her side during her last days. I think I was the last person she looked at before she fell into her "forever" sleep. Even in sickness she made me giggle because illness didn't and couldn't stop her strength. She was defiant until the very end. When I shop I look for things she would have liked. She was a woman who simply and honestly knew what she wanted out of life. My God has done marvelous things in my life the most important ones are giving me parents who loved me and allowing me to be a mother. No regrets, only praise and thanks.

Self Discipline

Good morning family. God is good and worthy to be praised. My husband is off to Orlando with our grandchildren for a long awaited Spring Break vacation. Everyone was so excited, loading up their bags, unstoppable chitter chatter. The anxiousness of getting of the road was on everyone's mind. Praying for traveling grace/peace. AMEN. As I watched them pull off my thoughts turned to self-discipline. It's something we all need to work on, I know I do. We can all point fingers at others and say they have to do better but it's so much more productive to work on the areas in our lives that need attention/improvement. My lack of discipline is evident when I review my credit report, my work-life balance, my immediate family relationships as well as my distant family relationships, my successes or lack there of and the most heart breaking evidence of the lack of self-discipline is my relationship with God our Father. If I'm being honest, had I been disciplined I would have immaculate credit, I wouldn't log in from home to complete work and my house would always be clean, my family relationships would be stronger than ever, I would be living life based on my dreams/true goals and my light would shine so bright based on an unshakable faith that I should walk in every second of the day. What I know for certain is that we all have our struggles with discipline but at the end of it all we're flesh and bone, humans with a right to choose what works for us. I offer an apology to anyone that has been affected by lack of discipline and I ask God for the strength/courage/wisdom/commitment to be better/do better. AMEN. TeamSelfDiscipline. Bblessedloveyou. Numbers 20:24-26, Numbers 27:12-14

Building Leaders

Good morning family. Praying for you all this morning. I'm enjoying a quiet morning before Zeina drops the kids off. Thankful for rest. Happy to report that I've gotten our house organized, what a load off my mind. Dee gave me somewhat of compliment when he said "I could not be married to a lazy woman". That let me know in a round about way that he appreciates the efforts I make to keep things in order although I know it drives him crazy. Praying for the leaders of our families, the trend setters, the people who understand what it means to lead others. Thanking God for the peace keepers and those who over look foolishness. Asking God to bless our family leaders and give them strength to do and say what others won't. Especially asking God to touch the men in our lives, young and old, for they are the key to the success of our future generations. Through them our bloodlines continue on. Reminding our young people to pray about any and all relationships they are in. Seeking guidance through prayer before making decisions that have long lasting effects on our families makes all the difference in the world. Praising God for all He's doing in our lives. His word is "the foundation", the "building block", the "beginning and the end", His word is "everything". Thanking Him for continued blessings and renewed spirits. AMEN. TeamBuildingLeaders. Bblessedloveyou.

Embarrassed

Good morning family. Praying everyone is having a nice Sunday. The weather in Jax is beautiful, hope yours is the same. I've said this before and I'll say it again, there are things I've done and things I do that would embarrass me if anyone outside my immediate family had to witness it. We are living in a time where things move fast. Our children learn faster, everything is "right now", "nothing" is waiting anymore. It's a time where if we can't access what we want when we want it, then it's not worth it. There's always somewhere to go, something to do or someone else to "be". This "right now" attitude of the world has me out of balance, a little off key. I bring this up out frustration because I put myself in a position of always having to do something and if I can't do what I feel I should do, I feel inadequate and incomplete. The smile I should were is replaced with a frown, laughter is replaced with yelling or complaining and then the melt down. Is it just me? I acknowledge this shortcoming and I ask God to help me do better, be better. What I realize is that we burden ourselves with unimportant things, we tackle things that won't matter tomorrow and sometimes we are frustrated because we haven't properly prepared. This morning I pray that God removes the "clutter" of thoughts that mean me no good, I ask Him to forgive me for anything I've said or done that isn't pleasing to Him. I thank Him for His word, His correction and His Love. Thanking Him so much for peace, rest and a new day. Giving Him honor for understanding when things seem out of control. Lastly, thanking Him for anyone reading this as I know they will send up a little prayer for me as I face my day with a better attitude. I'm going forward worrying less how about "how" things will get done because I know "who" I am and "Who's" I am.TeamEmbarrassed. Bblessedloveyou. 

Power In Choices

Good morning family. I always know when I've slept to much, my head aches until I get up and move around. Why we do things that hurt, us I'll never know. Thanking God for knowledge and wisdom this morning. His word is so awesome, eye opening and transforming. I don't know about you but when it comes to having continuous faith, I fall short. Why is it so hard to move forward based on what we know and learn from the word of God? There are people who are so short on faith that they blame all of their "shortcomings" on others. Like the Israelites, they point at others when things don't look favorable. "It's your fault things aren't working for me". "If you had done this I would have more". "Why didn't you do this so I could have that"? I don't know about you but I don't want to be like the Israelites anymore. I am a person who truly understands how choices I've made/am making affect my life. God blessed us with "free will", it's unfortunate that it doesn't always align with His will/purpose for us. This morning I pray that each of us stop finger pointing, accept the power that God has given us to make better choices. Understanding that the enemy uses distractions, lack and lust to trick us into believing we don't have enough and it's someone else's fault. I know for certain that what God has for me is for me, I just have to step up to the plate, believe and receive what's been there all the time. Praising Him for all He's done and for what's to come. Have a blessed Saturday. AMEN. TeamPowerInChoices. Bblessedloveyou. Numbers 20:3-5, Mark 6:14.